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Health News Archive 203 - Mortality
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Selenium, Carotenoids Lower Mortality in Older Women

Intake of selenium and carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene and beta carotene may thwart inflammation-driven diseases leading to fatality in the aged, according to a study published December 2005 in the Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine measured serum selenium and carotenoids at baseline and over 60 months in elderly women enrolled in the Women's Health and Aging Studies I and II. Of those women followed, 14.1 percent died. The five major causes of death were heart disease (32.6 percent), cancer (18.0 percent), stroke (9.0 percent), infection (6.7 percent), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (5.6 percent).

After adjustment for confounding factors including age, education, smoking, body mass index, poor appetite and chronic diseases, the researchers discovered higher blood levels of selenium and total carotenoids were associated with a lower risk of mortality, and concluded higher levels of these compounds may lower risk of mortality.

Source: Journal of Nutrition December 2005 (136, 1:172-176, 2006)